The Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians (LAFP) Delegates and Alternate Delegates participated in the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Congress of Delegates (COD), held October 4–6, in Anaheim, CA.
Prior to the meeting, written testimony on submitted resolutions was collected from AAFP members through an online platform. Virtual Reference Committees then reviewed this testimony and prepared preliminary reports, which were made available to members in advance of the COD. During the in-person COD, two Reference Committees met to address extracted items from those reports, as well as member and late resolutions.
Louisiana was well-represented at the COD. Attendees included:
- James Taylor, MD, FAAFP, of Zachary, LA - LAFP Delegate
- Brian Harrell, MD, FAAFP, of Lake Charles, LA - LAFP Delegate
- Richard Bridges, MD, FAAFP, of Amite, LA - LAFP Alternate Delegate
- Lisa Casey, MD, of New Orleans, LA - LAFP Alternate Delegate
COD Highlights
Town Hall Session
The evening before the official start of the COD featured a Town Hall with remarks from AAFP Board Chair Steven Furr, MD, FAAFP; AAFP President Jennifer Brull, MD, FAAFP; AAFP President-Elect Sarah Nosal, MD, FAAFP; and EVP/CEO Shawn Martin. Members were invited to ask questions following brief presentations.
Day One
The first official day opened with reports from the Credentials, Nominating, and Rules Committees, followed by the introduction of member and late resolutions. Delegates then heard the addresses of AAFP Speaker Russell Kohl, MD, FAAFP; and AAFP President Dr. Brull.
Consent calendars from the Reference Committees were approved, except for a number of extracted resolutions.
Key issues addressed during the Reference Committees of extracted items included training for medication abortion, ensuring family medicine’s role in urgent care, and immigration enforcement. The day ended with the Candidates’ Hospitality Night.
Day Two
Day two began with the farewell address from Board Chair Dr. Furr and greetings from several partner organizations, including the:
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA)
- College of Family Physicians of Canada
- American Board of Family Medicine
- American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
- AAFP AMA Delegation
- AAFP Foundation
- FamMedPAC
- Council of Academic Family Medicine
- FUTURE and NCCL.
President-Elect Dr. Nosal delivered her address, followed by the Candidates Forum. Ten candidates, delivered speeches and participated in a Q&A session for the At-Large Director position. A similar process was followed for the three President-Elect candidates.
During lunch, several prestigious awards were presented, including the:
- Humanitarian Award
- John G. Walsh Award
- Public Health Award
- Robert Graham Physician Executive Award
- Thomas W. Johnson Award for Career Contributions to Family Medicine Education
- American Family Physician Article of the Year Award
- Outgoing President’s Awards.
After lunch, the COD resumed with continued hearings and voting on Reference Committee reports and resolutions. View the 2025 COD Final Actions.
That evening, delegates, alternate delegates, and chapter presidents attended the “Meet the Candidates” sessions.
Final Day: Elections and Closing Activities
The final day of the COD featured the election of new officers and board members:
- President-Elect: Kisha Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP
- Speaker: Russell Kohl, MD, FAAFP
- Vice-Speaker: Daron Gersch, MD, FAAFP
- Directors: Tracy Hendershot, MD, FAAFP; Robyn Liu, MD, MPH, FAAFP; and Douglas Spotts, MD, FAAFP
- New Physician Director: Jane Simpson, DO, FAAFP
- Resident Director: Derek Southwick, MD
- Student Director: Payal Morari
Dr. Nosal was installed as the 2025–26 AAFP president. A complete list of officers and board members can be found on the AAFP website.
Thank you to everyone who made the 2025 COD such a great success!